Japan’s blockchain enabled next-generation financial transactions to start in 2020
Blockchain enabled next-generation financial transactions - Progmat

Japan’s blockchain enabled next-generation financial transactions are planned to start in 2020. On November 7 2019, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB), the second largest in trust business in Japan, announced the establishment of the Security Token Research Consortium consisting of 21 companies, and the development of next-generation financial transaction services using blockchain technology. […]

Capcom wins higher damages in patent infringement case against Koei Tecmo Games
Battle of Game companies

On September 11 2019, Japan IP High Court decided a patent infringement case between Japanese game companies, Capcom and Koei Tecmo Games (Here is the decision).  In this case, Capcom alleges Koei Tecmo has infringed on its two patents (JP3350773 and JP3295771) in Koei Tecmo’s action games (Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors) and horror game (Fatal Frame). The […]

Use the Patent System to Stop Global Warming
Global Warming

Super Typhoon Hagibis hit Japan on October 12. I was safe, but 21 riverbank failures were reported the next day. Japan was just hit by Typhoon Faxai in early September. Typhoon Faxai was said to be the most powerful typhoon on record which had ever landed Kanto region (Tokyo is included there). Some people have […]

Tokyo and Osaka district courts to start Intellectual Property mediation service
Mediation

Japan’s Tokyo and Osaka district courts will start an intellectual property mediation service in October 2019. The Tokyo district court published the operational guidelines for the new service on August 1.  The purpose of this service is to solve an IP dispute quickly through a discussion between both parties, by advice or opinion from a mediation […]

Recent IP activities of Japanese companies
JPO Annual Report

Japan Patent Office (JPO) published an annual report on July 12 2019. According to the report, 313,567 patent applications were filed in Japan in 2018. And, 253,000 patent applications among them were filed by domestic applicants. It slightly decreased than last year. As you may know, Japanese companies have been reducing investment in Japanese patents. However, […]

JPO’s SEP advisory opinion service updated
Negotiation on SEP

JPO’s SEP advisory opinion service has been updated for cases received on or after July 1 2019. This service started from April 2018, to provide a JPO’s non-binding opinion on whether a particular patent is a standard essential patent (SEP). We covered this service in the previous article here. The changes in the user’s guide include the […]

Partners with IPwe to introduce the patent transaction platform to Japan
IPwe Platform

We are delighted to announce the partnership with IPwe to introduce their unique patent transaction platform to Japan. IPwe created the first platform for the world’s patent ecosystem, connecting buyers and sellers of patents and patent-related services, creating a tradable asset. IPwe leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), data mining, predictive analytics and blockchain to […]

Japanese large companies stealing IP of SMEs
IP theft

Japanese large companies have been stealing SMEs’ intellectual property. This issue was brought up in a working group discussing the improvement of business conditions for SMEs or subcontracting companies, as reported in our previous article. Then, Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) conducted surveys on the handling intellectual property in the transactions in manufacturing industry, and […]

Japan IP High Court rules standard for calculating damages in patent infringement case
calculating damages

On June 7 2019, Japan Intellectual Property High Court ruled standard for calculating damages, especially deductible expenses, in a patent infringement case on carbonated pack cosmetics. Below is the summary of the decision. 1. Presumed damages Japanese patent law provides provisions to make it easier for patent holders to prove the amount of damages. One […]

Japanese universities to acquire stock option rights as IP license fees
licensing revenues of universities

Previously on this blog, we featured a story about a fight on patent royalty between a university researcher and a licensee company. And, it suggested a problem of a talent shortage for intellectual property in the university.  Licensing Revenues of Japanese Universities When talking about licensing revenues of universities, Japanese universities are often compared with American universities. […]